MumbaiThe most globalized city in India, Mumbai is a world center for financial, manufacturing, and service industries. Within its boundaries are swamps, hills, national parks, and ancient monuments. The city's prolific film industry, known as Bollywood, produces more than 1,000 films a year. Mumbai is also one of the most populous cities in the world, with more than 21 million residents. Despite its many successes, Mumbai also faces problems on a massive scale. More than 50 percent of its residents live in slums, and the economic migrants who pour in from all over India find few jobs and little housing. Mumbai's enormous population puts massive pressure on the city infrastructure, constantly placing its water, transportation, and sewer systems at or near the breaking point. Mumbai provides a comprehensive overview of this urban magnet-from its establishment as a rich port for the Portuguese in 1534 to its 21st-century role as an information technology powerhouse. |
